Unemployment Woes

We don't have our own washer and dryer, we use the apartment building's laundry room. $1.50 to wash $1.50 to dry. We can't use cloth diapers for that reason.

Minnie: Thanks. Well technically I live in London, I travelled to Hatfield. But getting into Hertford isn't quite so bad or long. My mums friend recommended looking at jobs in the Hertford Mercury. Yes I shall be going back to Hatfield in the near future to talk to the graduate services and see what they can do to help me. Thanks

Kiddo: Oh gosh, sorry honey. I was sooo deep in my depression I didn't think of how badly it affected others. I can't see why he fired you for your etsy shop, I think you might have had a case to sue for that. You were obviously good at your job if he kept you for 7.5 years. I hope you find something soon xxx I don't see how being a little different from anyone else, whether it be a mental or physical disability, should affect anyone. I know it does but it makes me so mad!! I mean, you were able to carry out your job effectively for 7.5 years and are no longer there, your boss got rid of you and it had nothing to do with your mental disability or whatever you would like to call it. That should stand for something...

Dessah: Yeah I know, I don't expect her to say the right things, but to moan and yell at me isn't going to make me feel any better about myself. The thing is when she gave me advice I was saying things like "yeah that sounds like a good idea, I'll do that!!" I can't even remember how it escalated now, but things are ok. I know she cares. I guess it's the whole "you end up taking things out on the person you love most" type of thing, for both of us at eachother. I think she's also stressed with other stuff so the way things are coming out aren't how she meant them, so I guess I ought to let her rant things out like I have here.

Abbyka: Oh gosh honey that's awful too... sorry to hear about that.

I was thinking when I get better with my sewing and knitting and stuff to open my own etsy shop or something of the kind.

I know what I want to do in the future, I would eventually like to open my own chain of craft shops!!! They probably won't make as much as other places but it would be lovely...

How can you legally be fired for having an Etsy shop? I'd look into a lawsuit if I were you, Kiddo.

don't mean to crash your thread, but i just need to get this off my chest because i'm getting really annoyed.

I have been on JSA since June after leaving my last job (because we moved house and couldn't get there for 7am shift time as i can't drive). Last week i FINALLY managed to get a job! i was really happy that i'd get out of the house and start earning money again as we've been skint since me leaving. So i rang the jobcentre the other day to enquire about help with child care costs (and tell them i needed to sign off) and they told me i had to be working more than 16 hours (it is a 12 hour contract i've benn offered).

So they told me to ring the employer and ask if they can give me any more hours (WTF?) which obviously he cant as it's a 12 hour position. So now i've got to decline this job as i'll be worse off.

I'd also like to point out that the Jobcentre suggested this job for me in the first place, and know that i have a child as i bring her in with me everytime i have to sign on. I've never had to claim the childcare element with my last job as we didnt need a nursery so didnt know about the 16hour rule, but surely the jobcentre know these things as they deal with it everyday?

I now have to go to the jobcentre for a "better off in work" calculation, and need to make sure that my benefits won't be affected for declining this job!!

Then after this i'll have to go to the nice man who employed me that i cant take the job i was due to start in a week.

Lolly - the mercury's dead, used to be 12-15 pages of jobs, now there's one or two.

claire - as far as i know if you're working under 16 hours a week, it shouldn't affect your jsa, i wouldn't turn it down till you've spoken to the <a href="http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice">Citizens Advice Beureau</a>

Claire: I've also been on JSA since the beginning of June. If you are in paid employment then I think it does affect your JSA but you may be entitled to other benefits. If you are working for a registeres charity in a voluntary position then it would have to be under 16 hours, otherwise I think it would affect your JSA (how I have no idea :S)

Jonesy: It's the same with my local papers, the Enfield Advitiser and the Enfield independant used to be a couple of pages long and now you're lucky if you get 1 pg/1.5 pgs!!!

Rachie: That's what I thought, that really would be unfair dismissal technically!!

apparantly i'd get to keep £5 of my JSA! yeah cuz that's gonna help! well the guy who employed me is gonna speaktohis area manager see if he can get mw 16hours bless
our newspaper doesnt even manage a full page of jobs anymore! it's mental.
And i doibt you could legally be fired for having an Etsy shop unless it was in your contract (which i'mhighly doubt it was!)

£5?! That's a bloody piss take!! WTF is £5 going to do for you? Aw bless your boss *fingers crossed* that he will get you the 16 hours.

Wow!! It really is mental. Well tomorrow I'm going to be going into town and handing out CV's to shops. It looks like I'll have to do some retail until my ideal job comes along. I also applied for the M&S HR Graduate Scheme this afternoon. They e-mailed me back saying I've got through to the next bit which is a Literacy test. If I pass that I'll have to do more tests. It sounds tough but I don't care...

they always want you to do tests for something though, well done and hope it goes well!!

Well I know a lot of Graduate Schemes put you through vigourous testing, literacy and numerical tests, assessment centres etc etc I don't mind too much, at least something is going somewhere!!

Hey, best of luck with it all!!

Not to put your hope down or anything but when you go into town today do expect to get angry because they will more than likely say 'you have to do it online'.... A bit like what you said in one of the first posts. Little retail shops will take them though! Seriously, best of luck with everything! Let us know how you get on. Both handing out CVs and with the tests! x

Thanks for that Ruby, I didn't think about that!! I'm hoping they aren't going to be so arsey because most places are looking for Christmas staff and stuff.

The thing is I look for these positions online and they aren't in the area's I'm looking for nor the type of position I'm looking for. All the jobs I've seen online are for like senior positions!!

It's so frustrating, I know technology has moved on and all but someone told me the HSBC in the Docklands was looking for people, go online. So I did... and guess what? NOTHING there in London AT ALL!!!

I understand... I was given two weeks notice at the beginning of the week. My dept needs to cut contractors and desipite being one of the top performers I was the first to be cut because my contract was one of the most expensive.

Aw Mildred sorry to hear that honey. What was your job? I would hope that your experience and a glowing reference with your top performance would help you. I guess we're all having a bit of a rough time at the moment, if things ever got so bad I would consider opening an etsy/folksy type shop or something like that...

I went to the JobCentre today, they are pissing useless!! Since last Thursday I have to sign on every Thursday for 13 weeks. They told me I still sign on ever other Thursday but the alternate Thursdays I see some sort of advisor. GREAT! Well I went today thinking I was going to see an advisor - since I signed on last week - to find out that I just sign on every week!! I was hoping there would be someone a bit more specified to help me. They suck... The bloke did do a job search for me though and found a few things, which I something I guess, 1 of them is a Business Administration Apprenticeship which sounds like something I need and could do!!

BUT I did go to town and 4 out of the 5 companies I had prepared CV's for took them in. I'd rather not do retail work but it'll have to do till I find something I'd like to do.